As he does in Another Roadside Attraction (1971) and Even Cowgirls Get the Blues (1976), Robbins chronicles the failure of western society to live in harmony and peace with itself. He believes modern Western culture, particularly as it is represented in Christian fundamentalism, is responsible for much human unhappiness and social discord. According to Robbins, modern man has been deceived by a culture that has impaired his spiritual vision.

To illustrate his position, Robbins uses the Middle Eastern Dance of the Seven Veils as a means to present seven illusions which keep the naked facts of life from our eyes. As the veils drop in the course of the dance, Robbins reveals his philosophical position: that through ignorance or dissembling our purpose in life is hidden; that we do not have dominion over plants, animals, and inanimate objects; that political expediency is often advertised as virtue; that organized religion...